Legos, sneakers, software. What on Earth do these have in common?!From an early age I was assembling, disassembling, using any and all Lego pieces to create something new and imaginative.After graduating from University, I joined Nike and delved into technical product specs like durometers of the midsole cushioning in running shoes and TPU design patterns on the upper to reduce weight yet maintain structural integrity, supporting the footstrike from heel to toe. How naturally I absorb technical details and fold them into the big picture to achieve newness or improvements would become a theme. More importantly, I began to understand how to use tech to make people’s lives easier. The next steps would lead me into software Product Development and Customer Experience (CX).It was 2009 and I had just come out of the hospital after nearly losing my life in a collision with a deer while riding my motorcycle in eastern Oregon. In this new era of enhanced perspective & clarity, I began to think as an entrepreneurial Product Owner, which would comprise the next 15 years of my career. Sitting near the adidas America Inside Sales team, I noticed an opportunity to chase bigger fish – larger sales margins, that is! I embarked on a php-based solution to empower adidas’ wholesale accounts to avail the clearance inventory on a self-service portal – to deliver on the promise, integrating SAP and relational databases combined an inventory read and the ability to create sales orders in real time. The result: Inside Sales’ numbers jumped 30% and the reps were happier! (not to mention the CFO) This experience is a microcosm of my perspective: use technology to bring people out of the weeds and into a position where they can think and act more strategically.Engaging and listening is key to understanding these opportunities, and sometimes it means listening with my eyes and heart. I build trust and relationships to help me and others to achieve goals. I use continuous learning & improvement to manifest growth and lead teams to set & achieve new, loftier goals.